Baylis & Harding candles (review)

I always think of Baylis & Harding as a company that produces pampering bath and body treats - you may remember, in fact, that I recently reviewed their Mum To Bee range (no, that's not a typo, it has a delicate honey and almond fragrance !) that is exclusively available at Tesco's - but for the past two years, they have also been focusing their attention on a range of home fragrance products, including candles and diffusers. They sent me through some of their candles and I have to say, they're lovely.

I'm sure I'm not alone in instantly thinking in a certain American brand of candles (OK, I'll just come out and say Yankee Candles !) when I hear the words luxury candles, but the Baylis & Harding ones are equally chic. They look very similar actually, presented in a glass jar, with a choice of single or triple wicks. I'm the same as Sophie in that we could happily spend half an hour sniffing all the different scented candles in a homeware store and we always love the ones with exotic scents and names that mentally transport us to faraway places. We therefore got very excited about the "pink sands and coconut leaves" fragrance of our Caribbean Sands candle. It's a delicate, sophisticated scent that adds a touch of luxury to any room. I usually think of candles as a warming winter home accessory, but this is the perfect tropical fragrance for the balmy summer weather we've been having lately. The other fragrances available in the range sound lovely too : French Riviera (French Lavender & Vanilla Bean) and Mediterranean Sea (Sea Breeze & Cotton). They are availabe in single wick (£8) and triple wick candles (£15), small diffusers (£10) and regular diffusers (£15).

If you're looking for a scented candle as a gift (or if, like me, you have a hard time choosing just one scent to buy !), Baylis & Harding also have a lovely Beauticology gift set which features six votive candles in three different fragrances, presented in a candle house. We love the cute packaging, the pretty pastel colours and also the delightfully fruity fragrances : mango, strawberry and coconut. I really can't decide which one I like best, but I don't have to because I just keep alternating them. With a RRP of £15 and a burn time of approximately 30 hours, that sounds like pretty good value to me, especially as every time someone walks into the room, they make appreciative noises about the lovely scents.

Disclosure : I received the products in order to write an honest review.